I guess I come from the position that we, the Commission, have already recognized there is a need to create competition, more competition in order to protect Canadians, and facilities-based competition is not yet here. So it’s our job to find a vehicle to create that competition and, in the simplest terms, it is to create an environment where broadband would be made available to a third party through a lease arrangement.
The acknowledgement about the state of Canadian competition and the responsibility of the regulator to address the issue was long overdue. While the UBB decision is still forthcoming, Katz’s comments provide some reason for optimism. Yesterday’s CRTC vertical integration decision contained a similar statement that offered a strong indication that the Commission got the concerns associated with vertically integrated media companies that can use their market power in a manner that harms consumer choice :
